Evaluating health information technology in community-based settings: lessons learned.
| Publication Type | Academic Article |
| Authors | Kern L, Ancker J, Abramson E, Patel V, Dhopeshwarkar R, Kaushal R |
| Journal | J Am Med Inform Assoc |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pagination | 749-53 |
| Date Published | 07/31/2011 |
| ISSN | 1527-974X |
| Keywords | Community-Based Participatory Research, Medical Informatics |
| Abstract | Implementing health information technology (IT) at the community level is a national priority to help improve healthcare quality, safety, and efficiency. However, community-based organizations implementing health IT may not have expertise in evaluation. This study describes lessons learned from experience as a multi-institutional academic collaborative established to provide independent evaluation of community-based health IT initiatives. The authors' experience derived from adapting the principles of community-based participatory research to the field of health IT. To assist other researchers, the lessons learned under four themes are presented: (A) the structure of the partnership between academic investigators and the community; (B) communication issues; (C) the relationship between implementation timing and evaluation studies; and (D) study methodology. These lessons represent practical recommendations for researchers interested in pursuing similar collaborations. |
| DOI | 10.1136/amiajnl-2011-000249 |
| PubMed ID | 21807649 |
| PubMed Central ID | PMC3198001 |